1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a trailer hitch device which can be attached to the frame of a truck, forward of the rear bumper, but concealed from view until placed in actual use.
2. Prior Art
With the ever increasing interest in recreational and all-terrain vehicles, trailer hitch devices continue to expand in versatility and application. With the advent of short bed truck designs, bumper configurations have introduced unique requirements because of the limited amount of space under the truck bed. For example, many short bed trucks have a rear bumper which conceals a spare tire storage area under the bed of the truck. The position of the spare tire mount and close proximity of the bumper or roll pan, create substantial difficulty for attachment of a trailer hitch. Specifically, there is not a convenient access to connect a hitch frame to the frame of the truck. Consequently, the conventional location for attachment comprises the rear bumper.
Prior art attachment devices coupling the hitch directly to the bumper have usually become a permanent part of the bumper structure. Unfortunately, this bumper hitch is typically in plain view. The presence of an exposed trailer hitch on the bumper of a short bed sport truck is not favorable where such trucks have been expressly designed to have a sport car appearance. Accordingly, many owners of short bed sport trucks decline use of a trailer hitch.
Some prior art variations of hitch designs offer optional attachment configurations from the more conventional hitch structures. U.S. Pat. No. 3,271,050 teaches that the exposed hitch opening can be concealed by an insert which also offers some functional utility for minimizing damage when the lower, hitch structure scraps a road surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,464 discloses a different approach to attachment of a hitch to a truck frame, by segmenting the bumper and providing for an insert for the license plate which is actually part of the hitch frame. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,713 identifies an elbow structure which enables the attachment of a hitch member that allows use of two hitch balls of differing sizes. This elbow member does not, however, teach ready attachment to the underside of a truck frame in a concealed manner. Instead, the hitch is attached to the bumper itself.